The drone has completed nine test flights so far up to 9.4 hours in length and at a cruising height of 50,000 feet.

Operators have also tested the structural capability of the aircraft.

Mike Mackey, Northrop Gumman’s Triton UAS program director, said: "During surveillance missions using Triton, Navy operators may spot a target of interest and order the aircraft to a lower altitude to make positive identification.

"The wing’s strength allows the aircraft to safely descend, sometimes through weather patterns, to complete this manoeuvre."

The Navy obviously seem impressed with the results - they've ordered 68 of them at a cost of over £700 million.

5 Uses For Drones When Not Using Them To Blow Up Things

5 Uses For Drones When Not Using Them To Blow Up Things

1

of

5

Drones Could Send Us Snacks

This is perhaps the most well-known use of drones outside of wartime: the snack-delivering drone. From Star Simpson's Tacocoptor to Darwin Aereospace's Burrito Bomber, these drones have been a surprise hit in the techie press. As HuffPost's Jason Gilbert reported, the Tacocopter "boasts a business plan that combines four of the most prominent touchstones of modern America: tacos, helicopters, robots and laziness." Unfortunately for those hungry today, the Tacocopter is just a concept now and not a full-fledged business.
It's no surprise that drone services might be more popular than delivery boys; after all, drones can go as the crow flies and don't need to worry about pesky highways or the grid-laid streets of cities. Due to their use as weapons of war, we know they can be piloted precisely and deliver payloads (deadly or not) to locations on demand. And hey, even if your food has to survive a bit of a drop, it still tastes the same, right?